meeting the demands of independent living

1Crawford 2009

Meeting the Demands of Independent Living:

Helping young adults realize a future inspired by personal purpose and worth achieving

Rob CrawfordMarch 3, 2009

Presentation Agenda

The Importance of purpose in life & career

Major societal issues impacting education/employment

Common barriers to success: employer misinformation

Building inclusive communities for those we love &

serve

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The importance of purpose in life & work

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Ask a young adult with disabilities what they want for their future

Accepted

Included

Counted on

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How is this different from any other “normal” person?

Empowerment does not create community

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They just want to fit in

Most people are not into their jobs

77% hate their jobs

87% don’t like their jobs

Focused on their next job

(Gallup, 2005)

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There is a job misery epidemic in America

Cost of Job Misery

American employers have

over $360 BILLION dollars

each year in lost productivity (Forbes, 2005)

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A miserable job is not the same as a bad one

#1 reported factor influencing job satisfaction is…?

• Compensation

• Prestige/personal accomplishment

• Work-life balance

• Working conditions

• Relationship with boss

(Ken Blanchard, 2005)

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There is tremendous value for employers and employees in getting this right

#1 reported factor influencing job satisfaction is…?

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Sense that the boss cares and you matter trumps all other considerations

Relationship with boss

Major societal issues influencing education and employment

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The American workforce is aging

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There will be a shortage of 30 million skilled workers in the US alone

12Crawford 2009 One out of five Americans have some kind of disability

13Crawford 2009This low employment rate has annual costs of more than 200 billion dollars

The rise of the 21st century knowledge worker

“Now more than ever, the success of public and private organizations in the United States . . . depends on the knowledge and capabilities of their employees.”

American Society for Training and Development (2007)

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Our future is inextricably tied to equipping and preparing this workforce

The shift to a 21st century knowledge community places the person in the center

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Out of necessity, companies will integrate disability strategies into their business plans

Many young people are struggling to make successful transitions to higher education or work

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As a society, by not adequately preparing them, we are endangering our future

Educational achievement is not a predictor of a well-prepared employee

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Extensive training in “soft skills” increases cost of doing business

At many colleges, most students arrive without proper preparation

43% of all students at

public two-year institutions have enrolled in a remedial course.

29% of all students at

public four-year institutions have enrolled in a remedial class.

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There is no comprehensive bridge providing transition from high school to college

Corporate surveys show college grads underperforming for employer’s most pressing

talent needs

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College graduates without disabilities do not possess what employers need most

College remediation often comes at the greatest cost to the student themselves

Students who enroll in remedial classes are far more likely to drop out than those who do not.

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Only 19% of students taking remedial college courses graduate within 8 years

Workplace skill demands raises bar to employment for people with disabilities

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These are not embedded skills in the current educational system

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Where are these skills & how do our kids get them?

Access to the emerging world of work & education

• Education is the center of knowledge society

• Schooling is the key institution

• The mix of knowledge required

• Quality in learning and teaching

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The definition of what it means to be an education person will be redefined

Processing information to make informed judgments

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Students lack opportunities to participate & practice making informed decisions

Team & leadership group skills are part of risk management in performing daily tasks

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Leadership experiences are indispensable preparation for the workforce.

Responsible & appropriate business communication skills a must for new hires

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Retention and promotion are influenced by communication competence

One must be able to understand & work with co-worker diversity

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A majority of young adults value diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Technical literacy requires employees with broad-based computer skills

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Computer literacy is more than texting and downloading music

Common barriers to success: Employer misinformation

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Misconceptions, lack of information, bias & stereotypes remain as barriers

The expenses of providing reasonable accommodations are minimal

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Most accommodations are no cost or low cost

Discrimination complaints from workers with disabilities are minimal

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The ADA has not resulted in an increase of litigation against employers

Employment rate: adults with a work limitation employed in the United States from 1981-2008

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Employment has dropped to half of what it was 20 years ago during a recession!

Year 1981

Percent (%)

24.6

Year 1982

Percent (%)

23.9

Year 1983

Percent (%)

23.7

Year 1984

Percent (%)

24.9

Year 1985

Percent (%)

25.2

Year 1986

Percent (%)

25.2

Year 1987

Percent (%)

26.3

Year 1988

Percent (%) 28

Year 1989

Percent (%)

28.8

Year 1990

Percent (%)

28.7

Year 1991

Percent (%)

26.6

Year 1992

Percent (%)

26.6

Year 1993

Percent (%)

27.1

Year 1994

Percent (%) 24

Year 1995

Percent (%)

24.7

Year 1996

Percent (%)

24.7

Year 1997

Percent (%)

25.5

Year 1998

Percent (%)

23.4

Year 1999

Percent (%)

22.4

Year 2000

Percent (%)

24.4

Year 2001

Percent (%)

22.3

Year 2002

Percent (%)

20.9

Year 2003

Percent (%)

19.3

Year 2004

Percent (%)

19.3

Year 2005

Percent (%)

18.5

Year 2006

Percent (%)

18.9

Year 2007

Percent (%)

18.8

Year 2008

Percent (%)

17.6

Our contributions in building inclusive communities for those we love &

serve

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Starts when we realize all of us are in this together

Society holds several views of what disability means

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People with disabilities are and have been a historically disadvantaged group

Even well-meaning “progressives” don’t get it

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• You know, I’m a little crazy myself

• We all have some kind of LD

• Why do PWOD think they know what our world is like?

This attitude diminishes the condition, and truly cripples the person

Parental comfort levels of “letting go”

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There is as much risk for them as their sibling with LD

We preach inclusivity & practice exlusive involvement

• National adult LD organizations?

• Policy making & program development?

• A “real constituency?”

• Protected class?

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Full civil rights protections do not exist for PWD

Preparing adults with LD to self-advocate in an appropriate manner

• To know how they learn & functional limitations (disabilities)

• To interview understanding how to discuss competencies

• To disclose & know what accommodations needed

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The public must hear their voices and not just the parents, programs, & professionals

Rob CrawfordLife Development Institutercrawford@life-development-inst.orgwww.lifedevelopmentinstitute.org 39Crawford 2009

I work towards a future that will solve for others what I have struggled with myself